Guest Opinion

With that, folks are starting to open windows, take evening walks and enjoy the outdoors. One thing that causes problems when folks are enjoying our wonderful area is dogs.

Chief Terry Cochran
Cottonwood Police Department

Cottonwood Police begins to see an increase in complaints about dogs about the same time that the weather starts to get nice, partially because folks are out more, and partially because some dog owners let their furry friends out to enjoy the weather as well, by opening the door and letting them go.

Folks, Cottonwood has a very pointed ordinance regarding dogs — you must keep them on your property unless on a leash. That means that when you get up to make the morning coffee, and Fido needs to go out, you have to go outside with him, or have a device, fence, or method to keep them contained on your property. We’ve received complaints where dogs have relieved themselves on other’s property, and can tell you that most folks are not pleased with that. As part of the ordinance referenced above, if your dog does that, you have to pick it up.

People like to have their windows open when the warm weather hits, and they complain that all night long they are hearing dogs howling and barking. Again, if Fido likes to howl at the moon all night, that is also referenced in the ordinance and you could be fined.

As there are nearly one thousand people within the confines of Cottonwood, we do everything we can to ensure everyone’s safety. This includes making sure all the dogs in town are up-to-date on their required shots, including rabies. I’m sure the last thing any dog owner would want is to have Fido bite someone, then find out they’ve got rabies.

The way we make sure Fido is safe is through licensing the dog. The City of Cottonwood requires that every dog, inside or not, is licensed every year. It’s now May and the city clerk tells me that there are not anywhere near the dogs licensed this year that were licensed last year, so that tells me that many of us may have forgotten about the license. Thought I’d gently remind everyone.

So, license, shots, no running at large, no howling all night….sounds kind of restrictive. That is, until you speak with the folks who don’t own dogs. I’ve got one, grew up with dogs my entire life, but still don’t want other dogs doing their business in my yard, nor do I want to hear their conversation all night. Please be respectful of others and take care of your furry friends the way they should be and also get them licensed.

Remember the ordinance? While there is a cost involved with all the stuff mentioned, it’s less than the $76 ticket for violations.